In the latter part of the 19th century, cattle drives from Texas to Dodge City, Kansas, might involve upwards of 2,000 head of cattle and last two or three months. At Mesa Verde National Park, where a dozen cattle and 80 horses have been "trespassing" on park property, officials say it would take five years to remove them. And that it could take a decade to improve fencing along the park's boundaries to prevent livestock from returning to the park.

Mesa Verde officials are taking public comment on their plan for dealing with the wayward livestock.

“We are working on how to humanely remove livestock from the park and identify potential homes for captured, unclaimed livestock,” said Mesa Verde Superintendent, Cliff Spencer.

The Park Service does not permit livestock grazing within Mesa Verde National Park in accordance with NPS management policy. When the park was designated in 1906, there was no boundary fencing to exclude livestock from entering the park. Since then, the park staff has worked to establish fencing along its boundary; however, the number of trespassing livestock – particularly horses - has increased in the past 20 years.

Based on public comments and suggestions received during the scoping process conducted in 2015 and 2016, the park has developed a range of alternatives. The environmental assessment now under review has identified such primary capture methods as baited pen trapping and horse-back roundups. Once the livestock are captured, the park will work with the Colorado Brand Inspection Division and local brand inspectors to identify possible owners of the trespass livestock; for livestock for which no owner can be located, the park would "follow the most humane methods as defined by the American Veterinarian Medical Association" for disposing of them.

The 30-day public comment period for the draft Livestock Removal Environmental Assessment runs through Sunday, May 13. You can find the draft EA, and comment on it, at this site.